A Meeting with Saskue
by RainFlower24
Summary: Lily and Shikamaru run into Saskue and his new team while returning back to the leaf. The short, reminiscent, conversation follows.


"You two hiding back there, come out here, now." Saskue called out in his usual commanding tone, confusing his three teammates in front of him.

"Who are you talking to?" Karin questioned but was answered by the two strangers who appeared behind Saskue. The three jumped, clearing not having noticed that Lily and Shikamaru had been spying on them.

"It's been a long time Saskue." Lily announced as Saskue turned to face her and Shikamaru. A smirk, that same smirk that Lily could still remember clearly from the many years ago, appeared on his face.

"Leaf ninja!" Suigetsu commented, seeing the headbands the newcomers were wearing.

"Are you guys here to capture us?" Saskue asked the two as he observed them. He noticed how much older they looked, but still how similar they appeared.

"No, we're just intelligence gatherers who just so happened to be in the area." Shikamaru replied with a sigh. "Fighting you guys would be a drag."

"I know my limit, fighting four and two is out of our favor." Lily continued with a smirk. "We were just curious if the rumors are true. So, did you really kill Orochimaru?"

"Yes." Saskue replied simply. He waited but no reaction came from Lily or Shikamaru. The two looked at each other and nodded, but that was it. Saskue was almost a little disappointed.

"Well, that's all we needed to ask. I think it's obvious that you're going after Itachi. Nothing else we could gather by staying." Lily lied as she observed the three standing behind Saskue, trying to gather every detail about them so she could research them later.

"Before you go, can I ask you something Lily?" Saskue requested. Shikamaru's face turned into a glare as he moved to stand in front of Lily, his body now a shield from anything Saskue could throw at them. Saskue found slight amusement out of this.

"Sure." Lily replied with a shrug. "We're really in no rush." She ran a million different ideas through her head but none were what Saskue ended up asking.

"Have you reconsidered my request for you to join my side?" Saskue questioned, shocking everyone but Lily. The tension was greater now as Shikamaru fought to restrain himself. He had always known that Saskue had wanted something out of Lily, but since he had left the village Shikamaru had pushed it out of his mind.

Lily flashed back to the night Saskue had left the Leaf village. The village was quiet, and Saskue had just left Sakura when Lily appeared to him.

"You sure about this?" Lily questioned from behind him. Saskue, not expecting her, tried to keep his cool as he turned around to face her. She smirked at him as she leaned up against a tree, her long brown hair blowing in the soft wind.

"You here to profess your love for me too?" Saskue joked as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't have time for this, but he respected Lily and wanted to hear what the young psychic had to say to him.

"No, actually I have another boy on my mind, which is why I am here." Lily replied as she looked up at the clear night sky. The stars and moon brought enough light down that they could see each other's faces through the darkness.

"Well, get on with it." Saskue commanded, getting impatient. Maybe he had been hoping for a love confession from her, but even that wouldn't be enough to keep him here. But, Sakura's interference and now Lily's appearance was costing him time.

"I just want to make sure you know the consequences of your actions. By leaving here today, you are going to cause the deaths of Choji and Neji tomorrow." Lily announced, glaring at him. "You are also going to drive Naruto insane; he is never going to stop trying to bring you back. Neither will Sakura."

"None of what you are saying has any effect on me. Nothing you can say will keep me here." Saskue replied, no sign of emotion on his face.

"I'm not trying to stop you Saskue. I am merely a teller of the future, I do not attempt to change it." Lily replied, suddenly appearing behind Saskue. "But, I know how easily the future can change. If you cause the death of Shikamaru tomorrow, I will personally hunt you down and kill you myself." She whispered into his ear, a knife pressed to his neck.

Saskue could feel the anger in the threat, smirking as he realized what was hidden in it. "You like Shikamaru don't you?" He questioned, and in a slit second he had her pinned against the tree she had appeared by. He smirked as he moved his face close to hers, enjoyed the glare he received from her bright green eyes. "As attractive and intelligent as you are, I doubt Shikamaru will ever have feelings like that for you. Even if he did, he will never be able to satisfy your needs like I could." He paused, wondering why she wasn't struggling to get away. Instead, she smirked, as if she already knew he was wrong.

"Why don't you come with me Lily?" He offered, slightly just out of curiosity. He knew she wasn't originally from the village and her loyalty wasn't as true as everyone else's. Everyone could see it, he was shocked she was still allowed to be her squad's chunin leader.

"Sorry Saskue, but I've found something to keep me here." She replied with a smirk, and then in a poof, disappeared. "Remember what I said."

Saskue remembered that night clearly, knowing now that her prediction of Choji and Neji's deaths had been wrong, only barely. He knew that she did have reason to be concerned about Shikamaru's life that time, for all the boys on that mission to bring him back had almost died. Though he had wished she had been wrong about Naruto; that idiot was still a pain to him.

"Saskue, you knew I never was going to accept it." Lily replied, laughing. "My loyalties were fragile then yes, but they're stronger now. I would never betray the Leaf. Plus, you're still not my type." She held up her left hand, the small, shiny silver ring with the small diamond on it flashed towards the four in front of her.

"Engaged! How old are you anyways?" Karin cried out, but in her head she was wishing it was her and Saskue who were engaged. That began her daydream of Saskue proposing to her, and well you can guess what else she began to daydream about.

"No way." Saskue commented, a smirk back on his face. "Never would have pictured you that type of man Shikamaru."

"Well, after Asuma's death, I realized that I couldn't die without letting the girl I love know just how much I love her." Shikamaru replied with a sigh. Lily looked at him, smiling, and it was clear to the four that there was a deep connection between them. Saskue almost felt a pang of jealously…almost.

"We should be going now." Lily broke the awkward silence that had followed. "You seem to be occupied anyways. We shall cross paths again one day. Oh, and by the way, don't trust what everyone tells you; hear both sides of the story before you make up your mind. Bye Saskue." And with that, they were gone.

Before his teammates could question him, he ordered them to follow him and they took off. Lily and Shikamaru took off in the opposite direction, heading back to the Leaf Village.

"Did you recognize the three he had with him?" Shikamaru asked as they ran. "They look like they are going be a pain."

"No, but I've remembered as many details about them as I could gather. Once we report to lady Tsunade, we're going to find out who they are, and why Saskue chose them to be on his team." Lily replied with a sigh. "It's a relief that Orochimaru is dead, but I have a feeling Saskue will be an even greater threat to the village."

"Did you have a vision or is this just a feeling?" Shikamaru questioned, but he had the same thought in his head.

"Just a feeling, for now."


End file.
